Mode of Operation and Tutor Enrollment

Recruitment of Volunteers for Providing a Free Non-Profit Making Tutorial Service in Tin Shui Wai

Objectives of Service

to help promising under-privileged teenagers in TSW to improve their academic grades, guide them become responsible citizens and hopefully lead them to climb the social ladder; and

to provide a venue for Wahyanites to give back to society what they have taken from it and spread the Wah Yan “Men for and with Others” spirit, given the Jesuit education they have received.

Mode of Operation

All classes are free for students from Forms 2 to 4. Classes will be held in a school or the Caritas centre in TSW after school hours. Each class will be of 1 hour and have a min. of 4 to a max. of 20 students in the same form. Given the relatively low level of English standard of some students, lessons cannot be conducted entirely in English and some Cantonese has also to be used.

All scripts for use in this service will be pre-determined by an experienced head teacher and be available to tutors well before the lessons are to start. A script appropriate to the level of the students will then be selected by the tutor for use in each lesson to guide the students to do some reading, vocabulary building, comprehension, multiple choices, fill in the blanks, etc. to enhance their English competency. No homework is required and each lesson is separated and independent of the next so that even if a student misses a lesson (which is expected to occur), he does not have to catch up. Also, no examination techniques will be taught since our service focuses to improve the basis fundamental.

Apart from inputting textbook knowledge in an inter-active mode, tutors are expected to spare around 10 minutes of each lesson to invite students to talk about the difficulties they face in life, provide guidance to resolve them, help them to set and achieve their own goals in life, and share with the students their own life or career experiences.

All tutors will, at the start, enroll as volunteers with Caritas until such a time when the service is well established and ready to register as a limited company and later a charity.

Students to be Taught

Only students in Forms 2 to 4 who are living and studying in TSW, whose parents are receiving public assistance and aremotivated to learn will be eligible for admission. An assessment of their English level will be set prior to admission to group students of same level together to facilitate teaching.

Positions to Fill

All positions are open to Wahyanites, their wives and family members.

Head Teachers — they are required to draw up tutorial content for each subject and provide guidance to tutors. Preference will be given to those who are/were graduate masters.

Tutors — they are required to deliver lectures according to the content and guidelines established and provided by the respective subject head teachers. No previous teaching experience is required but they should be familiar with the subject and level they wish to teach and be able to share their life or career experiences with the students to encourage them to become good and responsible citizens. Training will be provided, if needed.

Administrators– they are to liaise with partners of the project, head teachers, tutors, students and supporting staff to resolve any problem they may face or anticipate. Some experience in liaison, general counselling, venue or general management is preferred.

Supporting staff — they are to provide secretarial and supporting services including filling of tutor roster, processing claims of travelling allowance, typing, photocopying, telephoning, etc. Most duties can be performed at home. No experience is required.

Travelling Allowance

For volunteers who wish to have their travelling expenses to TSW covered, $100 can be claimed for each service visit of not less than 2 hours.

Period of Service

From March to end June and then mid-July to end of 2015. Exact dates and time of service to be confirmed and mutually agreed later. Two consecutive hours of service are expected for each visit to TSW. Tutors will be assigned two lectures each of 1 hour per visit. For other staff, a max. of two hours of service from home or at TSW per week is expected.

A review of the service will be conducted at end of June to determine the way forward and another call for service will be issued then.

Looking into the Future

From time to time and separated from the tutorial service, WY celebrities from all walks of life who rose from grassroots will be invited to give self-esteem building talks to students to provide them with life examples of success, advice on setting and achieving their own goals, and reinforce their belief that they can also be successful and make a difference if they persist to work hard.

In the long run, we hope to provide, on top of the tutorial service, a one-on-one mentor system to those promising students to guide them to choose their own studies and career and to help them to achieve them, even financially. We also hope to establish ourselves as a charity so that donors can receive tax rebate for their donation.